


The Perfect Gift

by Corrie71



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Canon Compliant, Committed Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Episode Related, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gift Giving, Kissing, M/M, Missing Scene, Post Episode S5e4 The Dress, Pre Episode S5e5 Housewarming, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 12:58:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18993133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corrie71/pseuds/Corrie71
Summary: David searches for a perfect housewarming gift for Patrick.





	The Perfect Gift

On a perfectly random Thursday, David lounged on his narrow motel bed, doodling in his journal and enjoying the rare peace and quiet. His relaxing alone time promptly got shattered when Alexis breezed into their motel room, carrying a small rectangular box, perfectly wrapped in slate blue paper. 

“What’s that?” David asked, intrigued by the rarity of seeing flawlessly wrapped gifts in Schitt’s Creek. 

“It’s a present, David,” Alexis stowed the package on the floor of her closet and shut the door before flopping into a chair at the table. 

“Aren’t you going to open it?” 

“It’s not for me,” Alexis shook her head. “It’s for Patrick.”

“Patrick?” David echoed. “Why would you buy a gift for _my_ boyfriend?”

“He’s throwing a housewarming party, right?” Alexis rubbed a minuscule drop of cuticle oil into her fingers and picked up a nail file. “A housewarming means a gift, doesn’t it? Ted said it did anyway. I’m not sure I’ve ever actually attended a housewarming. I’m sure it’ll be lame and all but it's for that little button face so…”

“A gift?” David bit his lip. Thus far in their relationship, he’d managed to avoid giving Patrick a gift. They hadn't had any money to spare for Christmas or Valentine's Day and had mutually agreed to just invest in the business instead. “What’d you get him?”

“An electric tea kettle. It heats up the water super fast so that—“

“I know what it is,” Damn, it was the perfect gift too. Patrick would love that. “Maybe I can get him a carefully curated selection of tea to match?”

“Ted's picking up a selection of teas and a card too,” Alexis said. “Stevie’s giving him a set of mugs—blue, of course. So we’re all set with our gifts.

“Stevie’s getting him a gift too?”

“Everyone’s getting him a gift,” Alexis said, in an overly slow voice. “It’s his housewarming party.” 

“I don’t have a gift. What should I get him?” David ran his hands through his hair, ignoring his rising pulse. Trust Alexis to ruin a perfectly good day like this. “I could get him a toaster. Or a candle. Maybe a vase so I could give him flowers?”

“Well, maybe,” Alexis flicked her hair. “But you’re his boyfriend so it shouldn’t be too housewarming-y, right?”

“What the fuck does housewarming-y mean?” David demanded. "It’s a housewarming gift."

“Like anyone could give him a vase or a toaster or whatever. But you’re his boyfriend so the gift should be special and meaningful. Is a vase special and meaningful to your relationship? Is a toaster going to make him think of you or smile when he sees it or—“

“Shut up, Alexis and help me think of a gift,” David tugged at his collar. Was it warm in here all of a sudden?

“Something blue? Or maybe with buttons?”

“You’re useless,” David flopped backward onto the bed. Alexis shrugged and headed into the bathroom to monopolize the shower. 

Before he met Patrick, David always secretly believed he was good at giving gifts. In his old life, he would just throw down his Amex black card at Barneys or Tiffanys for whatever was trendiest at the moment. He could always find something expensive, sophisticated, tasteful, unique—all essential David Rose traits—and wrap it up with a perfect bow. While he was shopping, he'd often toss in a few treats and trinkets for himself too. When one had a bottomless pool of money, giving gifts was easy. He rarely, if ever, had to expend any effort to actually _think_ about it or try to make the gift meaningful.

But now, David realized, that all those expensive gifts in his past had been empty, meaningless gestures. Because not one of those costly items showed the love that Patrick had with a simple blue gift bag, a plain black frame, and a paper receipt. 

Patrick’s kindness and thoughtfulness weren’t just confined to tangible gifts but also shone through in all the other selfless, daily actions that, over time, David slowly came to realize were gifts too. Gifts of time and attention. Gifts that said _I see you, I get you, I know you,_ in ways that an expensive bauble in a Tiffany blue box simply couldn’t.

His Patrick was a master gift giver.

And the fact that David wasn’t was just one of the infinite number of reasons that Patrick was going to one day come to his senses and decide that David was just too much effort and work for someone as perfect as Patrick. Patrick could have anyone, absolutely anyone. Why would he want David who, among his many other flaws, turned out to be a disaster at giving thoughtful gifts? 

David blew out a breath and buried his face in his hands. What on earth could he give Patrick for a housewarming gift? After he got the keys on Friday, Patrick planned to move into the apartment immediately with the housewarming party scheduled for the next weekend. David needed a gift quick. Although David was virtually certain that, even given infinite time, he’d never be able to think of the perfect gift the way that Patrick would. 

Alexis was right. Patrick needed—no, deserved—a housewarming gift. He deserved all the housewarming gifts in the world. And if David still had his no limit credit card, he’d buy Patrick absolutely anything he wanted. 

But then again, if David still had his no limit card, he wouldn’t have ever come to Schitt’s Creek, met Patrick, or opened Rose Apothecary. David would still be surrounded by a coterie of users and takers, lost amid the glitterati in gorgeous backdrops of the world’s most famous places. He’d never trade that hollow, empty life for what he had now, with Patrick.

But the fact remained that David simply had no money to spoil Patrick the way he deserved to be spoiled. He didn’t even have any money to purchase Patrick any of the little things that would make his apartment into a home. And even if he did, none of those things were the perfect housewarming gift for the world’s most perfect button of a man. 

Still, he had to at least try. Something would be better than nothing, at least. Wouldn’t it?

David would have to think of something. 

But what?

* * * 

After days of dithering, anxiety spirals, and shame eating, David finally came up with an idea. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not but it was all he had so he went with it.

He borrowed Stevie’s car to drive to Elmdale to purchase the simple black frame and white mat. Plain and sturdy, like Patrick himself. Back at the motel, after assembling the gift, David wrapped it in glossy white paper and tied a black silk ribbon around it, looping the bow the way he used to when he wrapped gifts at the gallery. He fussed with it for five minutes, tying and retying the bow, before finally drawing a deep breath. It was the absolute best he could do. He could only hope Patrick would consider it enough.

David decided not to wait until the party to present his gift. No need to make this whole fiasco public. He was just not up for that much pressure. Instead, he convinced Ray to leave the package on the kitchen counter in the apartment before giving Patrick the keys. That Friday morning, David and Patrick met Ray at the curb in front of the apartment building. 

“Ah, David, I took care of—“

“Thanks, Ray,” David snatched the keys out of his hand and hustled Patrick into the building, waving goodbye to Ray. “Anxious to get started moving in.”

Once they were upstairs, David handed Patrick the keys with a smile. 

“Well, open the door,” David waved his hands. 

“You must be more eager to christen this place than I thought,” Patrick teased before dropping a quick kiss on David’s mouth. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, David at his heels. He stopped at the counter in front of the present. David’s heartbeat sped up as his chest constricted. Why wasn’t there any air in here?

“What’s this?” Patrick tapped the package and David twisted his own hands to fend off his anxiety. 

“A gift from a secret admirer, Mr. Brewer? Or maybe a neighbor who spied you from the window and is dreaming of their very own meet cute in the laundry room?” 

As David spoke, Patrick tugged on the trailing end of the ribbon and ripped into the package like an excited five-year-old on Christmas morning. His hands stilled when he caught sight of the twin roses above the Rose Apothecary logo at the top and then, more gently, tugged the white paper down to reveal the details of the Open Mic Night listed on the flyer.

“I know how you love to frame things so I thought…” David trailed off when Patrick continued to stare at the framed flyer. “It’s nothing, it’s stupid. You probably don’t want to bring work home. We can hang it at the store instead—“

“I love it,” Patrick looked up, his Tupelo honey colored eyes shining above his pink cheeks. “David, it’s perfect.” 

Instead of rewarding David with a kiss, Patrick held the frame up to the kitchen wall. He gave a quick nod before heading over into the bedroom to pry a nail out of the wall. He returned to the kitchen before taking off his shoe and using the heel to hammer the nail into the kitchen wall.

“You don’t have to hang it up right away,” David protested. “Give yourself some time to get used to the place.”

Patrick carefully looped the wire holder on the back over the nail. He nudged the frame to one side to straighten it and stepped back.

“There, now it looks like home. Thank you, David,” Patrick beamed at him before sweeping David into his arms for a long, deep kiss.


End file.
